


Old Soldiers (Elendil & Gil-Galad)

by lordnelson100



Series: Breviary: Short Tales [4]
Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Elegy, Gen, I Just love them and want Sauron to not, Last Alliance of Elves and Men, Old Friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-13
Updated: 2017-11-13
Packaged: 2019-01-21 08:00:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12453048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lordnelson100/pseuds/lordnelson100
Summary: Prompt: "My kingdom for some Gil-galad/Elendil!" for actualmermaidShorts and one-shots from tumblr.





	Old Soldiers (Elendil & Gil-Galad)

The odd thing about them is how much alike they are.

Not in body. Elendil is a tall, broad-shouldered, sandy-haired fellow with a blonde beard just coming in grey. Though he remains still strong in body, there are lines on his brow, and crow’s-feet sit at the corners of his eyes; his grey eyes themselves are deep-seeing yet kindly. 

Gil-Galad is short for an Elf, and slight, with hawkish features framed by long black hair, and a keen, dark gaze. Elves are not meant to age, and so he does not look old, exactly: but enduring many sorrows have given his face a gently weathered-look, like a fine statue long teased by the wind.

It’s other things that make them like: how each has tasted of long battle against a growing darkness, and chosen to cherish the flame of hope. How each strives to bind their people together with trust, willing to be followed freely or not at all, while knowing, through experience, that many of their kind will make disastrous decisions. They both have seen bright hopes, great works, and dearly-cherished friends swept to ruin, and yet not despaired.

Also, they both dislike long meetings, elaborate dress, or finicky, intricate ceremony. “I’ve spent more of my life in war camps and refugee settlements than my palace,” said Gil-Galad. “Or so it feels. If I cannot wear my armor to it, I do not see why I should go!”  

“I am with you, old friend,’ Elendil replied, “A cup of wine by a campfire would be enough by me.  Blame my sons and your Herald. They have the stuffiness of the young, and wish to see our Alliance celebrated with the correct amount of candles and robes and learned chants. Do not worry, when they are veteran dogs like us, they shall grow into informality and scruffiness, like ourselves.”

“Elrond is centuries older than you, as you know,” said Gil-Galad,  “Even if I can recall him as a small child. Still, perhaps you are right, and we must humor them and their propriety, the young people. I shall put off my armor, and expose my sticks of legs in damned filmy robes, comforted by the fact that you shall look like a angry bear dressed by children, in yours!”

They laughed, and after enduring the great ceremony to honor the Last Alliance, inwardly rolling their eyes at the solemn expressions of their sons and officers, they did slip off and find a campfire that some guards were warming themselves round, and shared their wine.

#

“Thank the Valar, I think the Enemy’s last blow fell so fast that he did not know Gil-Galad lay dead beside him,” said Isildur to his brother, after the battle. “It would have damn well broken his heart.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> From a Tumblr prompt. The idea of these two good guys dying together made me so sad when I first read the Lord of the Rings at age 14 and it makes me sadder as I get older and also layer in the whole Silmarillion.
> 
> #
> 
> If you kudo, thank you and bless you. Comments are the soul food of this writer nom nom, so if you feel all inclined, it will make me happy!
> 
> On tumblr at [www.tumblr.com/blog/lordnelson100](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lordnelson100%20) and if you super liked something and want to tell folks, well, thus are the seeds of fic scattered through the land!


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